Colin Miller won't be rushed

Despite the fact the Soo Greyhounds have lost Ryan Sproul for at least 8-10 weeks, don’t look for them to speed the return of Colin Miller.

“There’s no point rushing him, getting him back and then losing him again,” Hounds athletic therapist Rich Rotenberg said of the Soo’s captain. “This is very serious stuff and we’re hoping he’ll be back playing three or four weeks from now.”

Which means the team will be without its two best defencemen for the foreseeable future, beginning tonight, when a three-game road trip opens in Windsor.

The 19-year-old (1993 birth year) Sproul fractured his left forearm when slashed, early in last Saturday’s 6-3 loss to Sarnia here.

Miller, a 19-year-old (1992 birth year) overage, last played on Sept. 29 in Saginaw.

Suffering from an inflamed and infected bursa sac on his left Achilles tendon, Miller underwent minor surgery two days later.

The bursa is a fluid-filled sac located between the Achilles tendon and the skin.

At the time, the team estimated he’d be out 4-5 weeks.

“I’d say we’re on schedule with that,” said Rotenberg.

But anxious to play, Miller says he’s “trying to push it,” when asked about that timeline. “I want to get back out there as soon as possible. And with Ryan out, I want to get back even quicker.”

Taken by the Los Angeles Kings in the fifth round of this year’s NHL Entry Draft, Miller is slated to visit with a vascular surgeon on Friday.

“Hopefully, he sees positive things,” the Sault native continued. “After a long summer, not playing now is tough.”

Miller missed the first game of the Ontario Hockey League regular season against Plymouth, sitting out the second of a two-game suspension he incurred at the end of the 2011-2012 campaign.

On Sept. 25, Miller was feeling some pain in his left ankle at practice and approached Rotenberg.

“The bursa was a little inflamed, we treated it and appeared to be making headway,” the athletic therapist said.

With the Soo on the road, Sept. 28 in Sarnia and the following night in Saginaw, Miller began to feel serious discomfort — especially against the Spirit.

“I was in a lot of pain,” he said. “It was tough and at that point, I realized how serious this was.”

Rotenberg said the pain Miller felt “was something a lot of guys couldn’t play through. He’s an exceptional competitor.”

Rotenberg explained how the wear and tear a skate boot goes through can sometimes cause friction.

“You get a breakdown of the tissue and bacteria from the skate led to an infection,” he said.

Miller described the area on his ankle as “a big blister filled with pus. But the surgeon cut around it and cleaned everything out.”

The third-year player said he’s now on three antibiotics, one of which is administered intravenously.

“It’s improved a lot and it doesn’t feel too bad right now,” said Miller, whose club takes Friday off after tonight’s clash with Windsor, before completing the trip with a Saturday night game in Plymouth and a Sunday afternoon test in Sarnia.

Asked how he’s coping with inactivity, Miller said watching from the sidelines can be frustrating.

At home, Miller has viewed the game while sitting in the boardroom, located on the suite level of Essar Centre.

“You obviously want to be out on the ice,” he said. “But it’d be a lot harder if the team wasn’t winning.”